Expectations
by ImNotCallingYouALiar
Summary: I was tired of expectations. The fact that a 'Wood' didn't play Quidditch was almost scandalous. Add in my hatred of the Sorting Hat and a certain James Potter, it was no wonder I was an outcast. It was easier to be invisible. Less effort.
1. Escape Plans

_Hi there. I am going through a Harry Potter mad phase just now which has sparked me to start yet another story (I know, I'm crazy but don't worry I'll still be working on my other fics.) This story is primarily focused on Oliver Wood's daughter. Enjoy._

Slouching down in the back seat I squeezed my eyes shut as my Dad slammed on the breaks yet again. Around us horns blared, if I listened hard enough I was sure I would hear the foul mouthed language I had come to recognise as swearing over the past summer. My Dad was an awful driver.

"We're going to be late," my Mum's voice was frantic as she swept a loose strand of hair from her eyes, "If you make Susanna late for her last year, I will personally kill you Oliver." And there she went with the death threats, it never got old. My Dad simply rolled his eyes as he rounded the corner sharply. I clutched at the door frantically.

"Have you remembered everything?" My Mum's mud brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she turned to face me from the front seat. Taking my bottom lip between my teeth I bit down, hard. My palms began to sweat.

"Of course," I murmured trying desperately to keep my face neutral. All I had to do was survive my last year. My wand felt almost foreign between my fingers, it had lay unused on my bedside table for several weeks, I hadn't missed it at all. Simple was all I wanted. I didn't want to be a freak of nature, I just wasn't cut out for it which had been demonstrated during my several years at Hogwarts.

"I never really got to do much in my last year," I watched as my Dad's hand reached out to clutch my Mum's, "but I hear all the parties are great. Maybe you'll even get a boyfriend." I sighed. My Dad caught my eyes in the mirror, I smiled at his narrowed eyes and crooked shaped nose. Without words I tried to entice him into turning the car around and going home where I could finally be my own person. He dropped his eyes.

"Well my last year was the best," my Dad smiled in remembrance as he pulled in at the entrance to the station, "If there's something you want you have to go for it." Around us muggles hurried frantically through the entrance, most of them talking frantically into their mobiles or texting. I had always wanted my own phone. But first I needed friends to phone.

"Get out," my Mum sounded breathless as her eyes flickered up and down my dishevelled features on last time, "We cant get a parking space. You know the way, and your father has an interview-"

"Don't be stupid. We'll go with her."

"It's fine," I whispered my heart feeling heavy in my chest, "I know the way. I'll miss you both." The warm sun grazed my bare skin as I stumbled from the car pulling my trunk along behind me. Behind me my parents insistent chatter carried on as I slammed the door. Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes.

As I walked through the front door I thought of how easy it would be to get on another train and escape. Nobody would ever see me disappear amongst the crowd. Glancing up at the departures board I felt a sense of longing fill me as I glanced at the several destinations. Oxford. Glasgow. Edinburgh. Cornwall. Even Paris. It would never work. I ducked my head as I thought about the sparkle in my Mum's eyes, the smile that would light up her face when I finally graduated. Then I could leave the wizarding world behind me for good.

"Susanna?" Swirling around I assessed the small woman in front of me. Her bright red hair was almost as wild as mine and her familiar smile seemed to glare me in the face. Just perfect. I definitely no longer had a chance of escaping.

"What are you doing? The train leaves in less than five minutes." Ginny Weasely didn't pause for breath as she tugged me gently in the direction of platform nine and three quarters.

"I-I just got distracted," I mumbled uselessly as she continued to drag me through the crowded station, her stern gaze making muggles part before us.

"James forgot his badge," she blundered, "He gets made captain of the Quittidch team, so what does he do? Flashes his badge around so much that he loses it down the back of the seat. No wonder with Harry's driving though." She shook her head frantically from side to side. I wondered if all wizards were incapable of driving a muggle car.

"James got made captain?" I blurted without thinking. It made sense of course, he was the teams star seeker just like his Dad had been years previously.

"Didn't you know?" Ginny's pace quickened as we neared the platform, "I was sure Harry had mentioned something to your Dad. And all my brothers have been boasting about their 'star nephew'. But you're not on the team, are you?""No," I frowned, "I'm not."

It wasn't because I wasn't a decent flyer, I was. It was out of principle. Of course that was what everyone had expected me to do, the fact that a 'Wood' didn't play Quidditch was almost scandalous. People often protested that it was in my blood. James Potter had harassed me during my third year asking me why I never tried out, he annoyed the hell out of me. Just the thought of being in the spotlight, of hundreds of eyes watching me, waiting for me to fail just made me feel nauseous. I did not deal well with unnecessary attention.

Squaring my shoulder I breathed in the smoky fumes of King's cross as I forced myself to walk into the on coming wall. A familiar tingle ran down the length of my spine before I exited on the other side, Ginny's hand still firmly grasping mine.

"Go," she pushed me in the direction of the train, "It will be leaving in seconds. I'll take care of your trunk. Just make sure to give James this." She pressed the shiny badge into my hand. Without conscious thought I ran towards the train, I hurtled through the doorway as the last whistle blew. I had made it, whether I had wanted to or not.

Small first years shot me curious looks as I leant against the wall gasping for breath. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the nearby window. I looked wild. My knotted brown hair was splayed around me, the curls looking unruly and mad as always. The brown eyes which I had inherited from my Mum seemed to small in comparison to my wide face and my crooked nose looked like someone had hit it with a bludger as with Dad. I sighed again.

"Wasn't sure if you'd come back this year." Looking up, I fought back a groan. I had only been on the train five seconds and already Scorpius Malfoy was on my case. Around us the first years watched on in fascination as he narrowed his eyes and stood way too close for comfort. Ever since I had turned him into a frog by mistake in our fourth year he had made it his personal challenge to make my life hell.

"Why wouldn't I come back?" I muttered. Just because I secretly wanted to jump out of the train and go back home didn't mean that I would ever admit it to a Malfoy. My Dad had always told me to stand up for myself, especially in front on Slytherins. He told me that they would latch onto any weakness they could find within you and then exploit at the worst possible moment.

"Well, do you really have many friends. Do you Wood?" He was right, I didn't. Mostly, I kept to myself. It was easier that way, then people wouldn't realise how much of a freak I truly was. Clutching James' badge in my hand I thought of how different my life could have been if I had let the sorting hat put me in Hufflepuff like it had wanted to or if I had went to the Quidditch tryouts in my third year when James had pestered me instead of hiding in the common room. I had nobody to blame but myself for my isolation.

"Just let me by Scorpius." He narrowed his eyes at me as I took a cautious step forwards. First years peered into the corridor from the safety of their carriages. Their laughter filled the entire train and it saddened me that within hours people they thought of as friends would become enemies when they got sorted into different houses. A lump got stuck in my throat.

"Scor?" Speak of the devil and she will appear. I watched as Alyssa Patil flung her arm casually around Scorpius's neck. Her short black hair was jagged at the ends and just skimmed the bottom of her chin. The black eyeliner that she had taken to wearing over the Summer created an almost crazy spark in her eyes. Our families had been friends since the war. We had played together in my garden, we had laughed together in my bedroom. However, after the sorting hat labelled us as different we had barely shared a word. I wasn't surprised when she turned to Scorpius instead of me.

"What is taking you so long?" She tilted her head up to look at him and I wondered briefly whether she was aware of the obvious way that her eyelashes were fluttering. Her infatuation with him had been obvious from first year and I wondered yet again why he continued to push her away. They were both cunning liars. It seemed like a match made in heaven to me.

"I ran into an old friend," he grinned in answer to her question as he looked me up and down, "I thought about pushing her off the train but then I realised her torture would be much slower and painful if she actually made it to Hogwarts." I winced. He had no idea just how right he was.

"Scor," Alyssa tutted as she tugged on his robes, "Don't use up all of your witty remarks on the way to school. Save it for later." I lowered my eyes to the ground. She had saved me from another snide remark, whether she realised it or not.

"Besides," she muttered casually as she pulled him away from me, "She's not worth your time. And, you're missing our plan to sneak into Hogsmeade at the weekend…" Her voice trailed off as they walked further and further away. I fought the urge to sink down to the ground and hug my knees to my chest. It wasn't like I had any friends waiting for me in a carriage. I tried to remember the breathing techniques that my Dad had shown me over the Summer, the ones he had always used before a big match. It didn't help much.

"Hey. Are you alright?" I looked up to see Remus Longbottom staring down at me as if I was part of some circus act. James was beside him as always, a smirk painted upon his face. The metal of his Captain badge cut into my skin as I clenched my hand tighter into a fist. He didn't deserve the title that my Dad had once had. He was an arrogant ass.

"You look like you cant remember how to breath," I shuffled backwards as James pretended to knock on my head, "Oh wait. Or maybe all of the air is just inside there."

"Coming from the guy who failed transfiguration," I muttered under my breath. Remus let out a whistle as he elbowed James in the ribs.

"She does have a point," Remus pointed out while James glared at me. If looks could kill I was almost certain that I was would be lying on the floor in a heap in that moment.

"At least I only failed one subject," he hissed, "I heard my Mum saying that little Miss Susanna was bottom in every class."

I stayed silent. I was _almost_ bottom in every class. At least, I never failed anything. Gnawing on my bottom lip I wondered how he knew that, even my parent didn't realise the true extent of how badly I had done in my O.W.L's or pre-NEWTS.

"You've never even been good at anything, have you?" James titled his head to the side as if he was assessing me, I could feel my cheeks burning red under his scrutiny, "You weren't even a good kisser from what I remember."

"Shut up," I murmured quietly while Remus shook with laughter beside him. I tried to remember a time when James and I had shared a slice of chocolate cake or the time that we had both fought over a kid's broomstick. It seemed like an age ago. It _was_ an age ago. Hogwarts had changed everyone, and not for the better. Including me.

"In fact," he continued, "I'm pretty sure you ran away and then y-you fell in the mud, didn't you?" He was laughing so hard that his words would not come out. I detested James Potter.

I saw red. I didn't think as I chucked his stupid, shiny badge at his head before stamping forcefully on his foot.

"Shut up," I yelled, "Shut up. Shut up. Shut _up_."

Turning around, I pushed past them both as I tried to remember the damn toilets were on the train. Useless tears sparkled at the corners of my eyes.

"Susanna," I heard James call from behind me.

I didn't turn around. Instead, I mentally prepared myself for another hellish year at Hogwarts. I couldn't wait to leave.

_Thoughts? _


	2. Exhausting

_As always, thank you for the reviews. _

They say everything is about timing.

As I walked into potions, I realised that my timing truly sucked. Over the years I had made it my goal to sink into the background, to keep out of the spotlight. That consisted of scoffing down my breakfast before anyone else even woke up, being first in bed at night so I didn't have to talk to any of my roommates and always, always being first to class at the start of the year so I could choose my favourite seat right at the back of the class, away from everyone else.

However, on the first day of my seventh year nothing had gone to plan. During the Summer I had grown accustomed to sleeping late and enjoying the warmth of the sun as it shone in through my bedroom window. The fact that I hadn't spoken to any of my roommates in years was the most likely reason for them not waking me up when I slept through my alarm, and their bitchiness was probably the reason that they had hidden my robes. All morning I had been scrambling around in an attempt to find my robes and then my books. I hadn't even had time to have breakfast.

Therefore, when I stumbled into potions fifteen minutes late, every single pair of eyes turned to me. My hair was in disarray as always and my dirty converse peeked out from underneath my robes; hopefully McGonegall wouldn't catch me in the corridors. Someone near me sniggered. All of the seats were taken, except one. My feet stayed rooted to the spot as my eyes landed on the seat beside Remus and James right in the centre of the room. I wanted to cry.

"Nice of you to join us Miss Wood," Professor Slughorn didn't even turn around from the potion he was brewing to acknowledge me. Someone else laughed as I continued to stand at the back of the classroom. My book bag felt heavy on my shoulder and I flinched as someone threw a piece of paper at me. There was absolutely no way that I would voluntarily sit beside James Potter. No way.

"Since you felt you were knowledgeable enough to miss part of your first lesson Miss Wood, perhaps you can tell the class what ingredients one would need to brew an oculus potion?"

He had to be joking. My mouth went suddenly dry as I mentally attempted to flip through all of the potions books that I had read over the years. I fought the urge to close my eyes as James lazily raised his hand at the front of the class. If James knew the answer, I just had to.

"Well?" Professor Slughorn's lips tilted up into a smile as he finally turned around to face the class, "Perhaps James can tell you."

"No," I blurted, there was no way James Potter was going to get one up on me again, "You need wormwood and….stewed mandrake?"

"What else?"

I could feel my face burning red under all of the scrutiny. I despised being the centre of attention; which was one of the many reasons why I wasn't on the Quittidch team.

"James?" Slughorn sighed as he shot me a disapproving look.

"You need wormwood, stewed mandrake, ground unicorn horn and crystalized water." I had never wanted to punch anyone as much as I wanted to punch James Potter in that moment. He was an arrogant, slimy pig who thrived on his famous status. It took all my strength to not run from the classroom in tears. There was no way he had known the answer to that without anyone's help.

"Excellent James," Slughorn grinned brightly, "Susanna maybe you should take the empty seat beside James and attempt to learn something this year. If you're late again, I will have no choice but to inform your Head of House."

My feet felt heavy as I pushed myself to walk and sit down beside James. Briefly, I wondered if I could get my Dad on my side, then he could convince my Mum to let me drop out. But even as I took my new seat, I pictured the disappointment on my Mum's face if I went home without graduating. I would bring shame upon the whole family. I hated disappointing people.

"Right. Today we are going to attempt to brew an Oculus Potion. I want you to pair up with the person on your left. It will take three classes to brew the potion and then I want you both to write an essay on your efforts."

He had to be fucking joking me. My dislike of Slughorn was growing by the second. I eyed the door wondering if I could just sneak out while he was reading the Daily Prophet in his office. It was a certainty that I was going to fail potions anyway so maybe I could just leave before they had the chance to throw me out. I could take Ancient Runes instead or Muggle Studies.

"Well," James drawled as he pushed his chair closer to mine before I could run from the room, "This will certainly be fun." Remus laughed and clapped him on the back before moving reluctantly towards his own partner.

I stayed silent. My hands gripped the edge of the desk and I found my mind wandering to all of the normal muggles I had meant during the Summer. They had so many opportunities, so much life. It had been nice to have friends for a moment; even if it had all been based on lies. Being a freak was exhausting.

"Do you know anything about brewing potions?" James asked. I bit down hard on my bottom lip. I would not let him work me up.

"I've been in your class for seven years," I muttered. It wasn't that I wasn't intelligent, I was. I could solve a maths problem in a matter of minutes and read the classics for hours, but none of that mattered at Hogwarts. I often had nightmares that I was a squib. However, I couldn't help but remember a lesson in fourth year when I had beaten Remus Longbottom in a duel. In particular, I could remember the disbelief followed by instant fury on James's face when he realised that I had won. Magic coursed through my blood but I had a feeling that it was my reluctance to use it, rather than my inability, that gave me trouble.

"I've never really seen you do much work," James shrugged lazily as he glanced around the room. I wondered what it would feel like to be as sure as myself as James Potter was. He didn't seem to care what anyone thought about him; if I hadn't hated him, it would have been refreshing.

"Maybe you're just unobservant," I spoke quietly before sliding off my seat. I tried to calm my breathing as I walked towards the ingredients cupboard. I could feel James's eyes burning a hole in my back the entire time.

"You shouldn't let Slughorn treat you like that, or Potter." I jumped as someone snuck up behind me. Scanning the shelves I grabbed the jar of stewed mandrake before turning around.

"What is it to you?"

Never in my seven years at Hogwarts had Ewan Goyle made any attempt to talk to me. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he stared intently at me. It was unnerving. My Dad had only ever told me to stay away from two families; the Malfoys and the Goyles. He said they were 'trouble.'

"Look," I was very aware of people watching me yet again, "Whatever Scorpius or Alyssa have put you up to, can you do it somewhere a little less crowded?"

He screwed his face up as he followed my eyes around the room. I noticed the curve to his lips and the definition of his muscles beneath his robes. He really was quite handsome, especially for a Goyle.

"Scorpius hasn't put me up to anything, I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Why? You haven't for the past seven years."

"You look…" Ewan trailed off as he looked me up and down, "different this year." I felt uncomfortable as his eyes skimmed over my curves and then up to my eyes. Briefly, I wondered how awful his eyesight was. Sure, the sun had made my hair lighter than it normally was and freckles decorated my face but otherwise I was pretty sure nothing had changed about me. I was still plain, boring old Wood.

"Leave me alone," I spoke through gritted teeth. I had looked after myself for seven years. All I had to do was get through my final year unscathed and leave every single one of my classmates behind for good. I stiffened as Ewan grabbed at my arm.

"James Potter is an asshole. I'll leave you alone for now, but if you ever feel like plotting a little revenge, I'm your guy."

I didn't even have a second to blink before he stole the jar of stewed mandrake from my hand and walked away. Across the room I saw James and Remus sharing a confused look.

My day was just getting stranger and stranger and unfortunately, it was only my first class. It was exhausting being me.

_Thoughts? _


End file.
